Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/441179
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 JANUARY 2015 14 Malta in 2015 THE year that passed was in a sense charac- terised by revelations and controversies, cul- minating in promises of reform. On top of an ongoing overhaul of the justice system, 2014 also brought with it a series of events that forced the country to reconsider the state of many of its other institutions: not least, the Police Force, after a damning inquiry report culminated in the resignation of both the Act- ing Police Commissioner and also the Home Affairs Minister last November. Among the more disturbing of these revela- tions was another judicial inquiry, this time into the death of an asylum seeker at the Hal Safi detention centre in 2012 – but published two years later – which uncovered gross neg- ligence and mismanagement at various levels of Malta's controversial immigration policy. Immigration was itself one of the major con- cerns of 2014, even if the impact on Malta was less dramatic than in previous years. Prompt- ed by large-scale deaths off Lampedusa in 2013, the Italian government launched 'Mare Nostrum': a naval operation that effectively absorbed the vast majority of asylum seek- ers who survived the perilous Mediterranean crossing this year. All this seems set to change, however, as Italy will be winding down the Mare Nostrum operation in the wake of the EU's Frontex mission, code-named Triton. As with former Frontex operations, Triton has already been weakened by internal EU dissent: individual member states have re- fused to participate, and EU Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom conceded (in Malta, last September) that Triton will be a "smaller op- eration" than Mare Nostrum: "Frontex does not have the funds or the assets to take over the Italian mission," she said. "It is up to Italy to decide whether it wants to stop its mission or not but Frontex will definitely not replace the Italian mission." In view of all this, Neil Falzon, chair of human rights NGO Aditus, expects the situation to de- teriorate further in 2015. "With the end of Mare Nostrum and a limited Frontex operation, it is expected that spring/ summer 2015 could revert to pre-Mare Nos- trum in terms of crossings, and therefore also in terms of deaths," he told MaltaToday. "Smug- glers and traffickers won't downsize their busi- ness model, simply because there will be fewer rescue operations." On the contrary, there is evidence of an in- crease in human trafficking in the past year. The Italian government reported that 112,000 undocumented migrants – nearly three times the influx of 2013 – had tried to reach Italy by September; of these, over 3,000 died in the at- tempt. "Two important points will need to be ad- dressed in 2015," Falzon points out. "One, the capacity of places like Greece, Malta and Italy to deal with not only the survivors but also – and importantly – with those who don't make it; and two, the EU's insistence on policies that effectively prohibit legal and safe access to the EU, with limited space for alternatives. We start every year hoping policies, language and approach will change, that we will remember the thousands of lives lost, families broken... This year we will continue hoping, and push- ing for change. Malta has the potential to play a key role in contributing to bringing about this change." The coming year will also herald changes on the local immigration front. The aforemen- tioned inquiry report also resulted in the prom- ise of an overhaul of detention procedures. Neil Falzon points out that Malta has international obligations to meet in this regard as well. "Summer 2015 marks a very important dead- line for all EU member states, including Malta. It is the deadline to incorporate into national laws the EU's revised set of asylum legal instru- ments. Why is this so important for Malta? Be- cause these revised instruments contain clear rules on the detention of asylum seekers, on the protection of unaccompanied minors, on the need to identify and support vulnerable asylum seekers and on guaranteeing a sensitive asylum procedure for those persons in particularly dif- ficult circumstances." For Malta, he adds, this means a radical re- vision of the way we have been receiving and treating asylum seekers: "a move towards an in- dividualised approach that respects the human dignity of all persons involved whilst ensuring the integrity of national asylum procedures." A landmark year for human rights But not all Falzon's predictions for 2015 are dire. The human rights activist is optimistic ahead of the enactment of a number of impor- tant local legal reforms. "If plans are followed through, 2015 will see the Civil Liberties Ministry start a radical revi- sion of Malta's human rights machinery. The White Paper published in December 2014 promises unified human rights legislation and institutions, together with a space for effective dialogue with civil society organisations. We will certainly contribute to this process, also through the Platform of Human Rights Or- ganisations in Malta (www.humanrightsplat- form.org.mt), and reiterate the need for human rights education to be included at all educa- tional levels." Among the more specific articles of legisla- tion is a Gender Identity Bill, which should be adopted in early 2015. "This will bring about a significant improve- ment in the quality of lives of Malta's trans- gender community, insofar as it will allow for amendment of personal official documentation without the need to undergo surgical interven- tions that are expensive, life-threatening and result in sterilisation of the person. It will open up human rights enjoyment to a group of per- sons who continue to face severe hardships at school, when attempting to find work and in personal and social relations. We are keen to see whether this law will also encourage the transgender community to become more em- powered, visible and vocal." A year of equality achievements The LGBT community is not the only group to look forward to 2015 with optimism. Renee Laiviera, Malta's Gender Equality Commission- er, likewise expects the coming year to carry on its predecessor's trend for redressing an other- wise gaping gender gap in Malta's political and commercial hemispheres. "In 2014 there was a move towards more women being represented in positions of de- cision-making: Marie Louise Coleiro Preca as President; Helena Dalli as Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties; nine women out of 69 members of parliament, including Justyne Caruana as the Parliamentary Secretary for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing; and four women out of six elected MEPs. Approximately 35% of positions in Category A of the public sector are now held by women." Laviera hopes to build on this promising record in 2015. "But there is still work to be done to achieve a balanced representation of women in positions of decision making. In fact, at EU level, Malta has declared itself in favour of having binding measures for more balanced representation of women and men on boards of major companies." Until such measures are in place, she adds that NCPE is currently working on a set of initiatives to empower more women to participate in decision-making positions. "In particular, a mentoring pro- gramme to provide women aspiring to hold decision- making positions with the opportunity to be mentored by successful persons who occupy high-level jobs. This will be preceded by a training programme for men- tees." Another project in the pipeline is a Directory of Maltese and Gozitan Professional Women, which the Commissioner hopes will "give vis- ibility to professional women and their compe- tences in various fields with the possibility to be appointed to serve on Boards, Committees, Representations or any other decision-making positions." NCPE is also working on two research stud- ies: "One on gender-balanced representation in decision-making in various fields, and another one on gender quotas and related measures. This research will provide findings and recom- mendations that can be utilised by policy mak- ers to improve the gender balance in decision- making positions." Enter stage left Elsewhere, expecta- tions are high for 2015 also in the sphere of culture and the arts. Adrian Buckle, director of local theatre com- pany Uni- faun, looks forward to finding out what the coming cul- tural calen- dar will look like. Today's trends, tomorrow… It may not be possible to make accurate predictions, but a glance back at the closing year reveals trends that may be projected into 2015. Raphael Vassallo asks a few personalities what they expect in the next 12 months By Raphael Vassallo Today's trends, tomorrow… It may not be possible to make accurate predictions, but a glance back at the closing year reveals trends that may be projected into 2015. Raphael Vassallo asks a few personalities what they expect in the next 12 months 2015 will see the Civil Liberties Ministry start a radical revision of Malta's human rights machinery Neil Falzon, Aditus